Man gets 16 years after hitting, killing pedestrian in Charlotte while impaired
Mache Darby, 40, was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in prison on Thursday after hitting and killing a pedestrian in uptown in December, according to a Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office news release.
Darby pled guilty to second-degree murder, felony death by motor vehicle, felony hit and run resulting in death, felony fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle and reckless driving. He could serve up to 20 years.
On Dec. 1, Darby was speeding near the 300 block of West Morehead Street around 2:12 a.m. when he struck Ryan Zadrozny. The victim and two two friends were crossing the street. The other pedestrians were uninjured. Darby fled the scene, according to a police affidavit filed in court.
Officers found Zadrozny unresponsive in the middle of the intersection of West Morehead Street and South Mint Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
After fleeing, Darby sped down West Palmer Street and South Mint Street and crashed. Officers found he was impaired. He admitted to drinking tequila at a club before the incident.
In 2011, Darby was arrested for a similar charge after hitting and killing a 55-year-old man on Albermarle Road near W.T. Harris Boulevard. He was sentenced to over a year in prison in that case, according to court records. The time would be suspended if Darby completed 30 months of supervised probation.
Plea in stabbing
In another hearing Thursday, a judge ruled that 29-year-old Victor Agudelo Monsalve will spend up to 25 years in prison for stabbing his 19-year-old partner to death.
Agudelo killed Yamile Alejandra Giraldo Gomez in southwest Charlotte in December 2023. Superior Mecklenburg Judge Daniel Kuehnert sentenced him to 20 to 25 years for second-degree murder.
Observer staff writer Julia Coin contributed.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 1:42 PM.
